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‘Ray Gunn’ Star Scarlett Johansson (41) Stuns in Red Hermès Gown With a Smile Fans Can’t Ignore

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Scarlett Johansson is having a busy stretch at the 70th BFI London Film Festival. The actress is presenting 2 films at this year’s event, and the first was Brad Bird’s long-gestating animated noir ‘Ray Gunn’, which held its world premiere on Saturday at the Royal Festival Hall.

Bird, composer Michael Giacchino and co-star Sam Rockwell joined Johansson for the big night. The film marks Bird’s first directing effort since ‘Incredibles 2’ in 2018, and he has been trying to bring it to life for roughly 30 years.

Johansson arrived in a vivid red strapless dress with a gathered bodice and a full skirt, and many fans assumed it came from Prada. In fact, the look was from the Hermès Resort 2027 collection, a surprising choice from a French house better known for its craftsmanship and luxury fabrics.

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She paired the dress with matching red Manolo Blahnik Leva sandals and a delicate Cece Jewellery pendant necklace. Her blonde hair was styled in soft, tousled waves, keeping the overall look fresh and relaxed.

Not everyone was convinced, though. One fashion critic admitted to liking the accessories but felt the dress itself was unappealing and that the fabric looked disappointingly inexpensive.

In ‘Ray Gunn’, Johansson voices Venus Nova, a temperamental pop superstar whose troubles pull Rockwell’s private eye into a murder investigation. Bobby Cannavale plays her husband, who hires Ray to keep an eye on her.

The film is set in a futuristic city where humans live alongside aliens, with Tom Waits voicing Ray’s one-eyed alien sidekick, Eye-ra. Matt Berry plays the gangster Slugsy, while Bird himself voices 2 of Slugsy’s henchmen.

Johansson also gets to show off her singing voice. Several reviews noted that she performs a couple of songs written by Kimbra.

Early reactions to the film have been mixed. Deadline praised it as a smart, visually rich throwback to film noir classics like ‘The Maltese Falcon’ and ‘The Big Sleep’, suggesting it could be a strong contender for Best Animated Feature and singling out Johansson for matching Rockwell’s energy.

Others were less impressed. The Hollywood Reporter called it a bland pastiche, The Playlist felt the worldbuilding was overstuffed, and Screen Daily described it as stylish but convoluted.

Many critics still agreed that Bird’s visual ambition shines through. Several highlighted his talent for directing animated action sequences and the film’s striking retrofuturist design. Bird first tried to make ‘Ray Gunn’ in the late 1990s with Turner Feature Animation.

He later signed a deal with Skydance Animation in 2021 to finally direct it, co-writing the screenplay with Matthew Robbins. The project reportedly faced its own hurdles along the way. Apple walked away from its deal with Skydance in 2024, partly because ‘Ray Gunn’ was considered too expensive.

The voice cast also includes Michelle Rodriguez, Alan Tudyk, Aasif Mandvi, Matt Jones and Patton Oswalt. The PG-rated film runs 1 hour and 59 minutes, with Giacchino composing the score and Ben Burtt handling sound design.

‘Ray Gunn’ receives a limited theatrical release in the US and UK on December 4. It then arrives on Netflix on December 18. Whether the reviews soften or not, Johansson’s red carpet moment has already made the premiere one of the festival’s most talked-about nights. Fans will soon be able to decide for themselves whether Venus Nova lives up to the hype.

What do you think of Scarlett Johansson’s red Hermès dress at the ‘Ray Gunn’ premiere?

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